Draymond Green matched his career-high with 16 assists, including eight during a 44-point third-quarter explosion that propelled the Golden State Warriors to a 131-112 romp over the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
The Warriors shot 10-for-14 on 3-pointers in their third-quarter blitz, which began with a two-point halftime lead and ended with a commanding 105-78 advantage. Six players hit 3-pointers in the decisive period for the Warriors, who ended a 10-game road losing streak and an overall five-game skid.
Cavaliers lose tenth game in a row
Collin Sexton had a game-high 23 points to pace the Cavaliers, who dropped their 10th in a row at home and 10th in 11 games overall. The matchup of teams that went head-to-head in the NBA Finals in four of the last five seasons was close for a half, with neither team leading by more than seven points in the first 24 minutes, ending with Golden State up 61-59.
The Warriors wasted no time pulling away in the third quarter, with Green scoring on a tip-in and assisting on two hoops in an eight-point run that opened a 10-point gap in the quarter's second minute.
Golden State went up 88-70 before the midpoint of the period, and the outcome was never in doubt after that. Green's assist total, which came in just 26 minutes, equalled the number he recorded against Houston in 2015 and matched against Charlotte in 2017. He also managed eight points and seven rebounds.
Warriors prevail
Glenn Robinson III added 22 points for the Warriors, who had opened a five-game trip with losses at Philadelphia and Boston, while D'Angelo Russell contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Also scoring in double figures were Damion Lee (18 points), Eric Paschall (16), Alec Burks (15), Omari Spellman (12) and Marquese Chriss (10). All but one of Russell's 19 points came on 6-for-11 success on 3-pointers, helping Golden State finish 18-for-35. The Warriors shot 53.3 percent overall.
Kevin Love recorded a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Cavaliers, who fell to 0-3 on a four-game homestand, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 19 points, Darius Garland 15, Larry Nance Jr 12 points and Cedi Osman 10. Tristan Thompson tied Love for game-high rebounding honours with 11 to complement his six points.
